Thursday, February 7, 2013

AC4. Dennis returns!

Between the cartoonish direction taken by the (International) Noise Conspiracy, no doubt leading to its inevitable end, and a well-received reunion that gave many, many people a chance to fall in love with Refused a second time, Dennis Lyxzén came to realize that hardcore is his calling. And perhaps out of nostalgia, perhaps out of boredom, he started fronting a new band, AC4 (with former Refused bandmate David Sandstrom). AC4 is set to release a record called Burn the World (yes, wah wah) on March 18, on Deathwish Inc./Ny Våg.

Yes, I'm well aware of the band's history, and yes, Dennis has had a number of projects. I've mostly been a loyal fan for years, as well. But my skepticism with AC4 comes with the fact that he's been in all sorts of bands - some better than others - and in watching this, my feeling is that, after attempting projects like 99 Million Miles, or watching T(I)NC go downhill, he realized that he would never be as loved as he was with Refused, and AC4 is an example of an attempt to "relive the good old days." Except it's not nearly as good. Yes, they've been in the hardcore scene for years, but it's rare to see a group of 40-year olds continue with the fire they had at 25.